Agarkar down, but not out

The disappointment of being left out of the Test must definitely have been severe, but Ajit Agarkar did a good in concealing it.

The disappointment of being left out of the Test must definitely have been severe, but Ajit Agarkar did a good in concealing it. In his first interaction with the media after being ignored despite a standout show in the ODI series against the West Indies, the paceman admitted he was down, but certainly not out.

"Who wouldn't like to be part of the Test team? But it happens. I look at the positives, and in this case one of the positives is that I will go home and see my son, who is seven months old," said Agarkar after the fifth and final one-day match.

It was learnt that the team management - including captain Rahul Dravid, coach Greg Chappell and manager Ranjib Biswal, who is also one of the selectors - all wanted Agarkar in the Test side. But for some reason, sources said, the selectors back in India refused to move from their stand of treating him as a one-day specialist.

Asked what he thought could be the reason behind his exclusion, Agarkar said: "Why would I ask myself why I am not in? I don't select the team, the selectors do. They haven't picked me, fair enough. I need to keep performing in one-dayers to win my place back in the Test side. It's not the end of the world."

It's not. But an end to the sort of absurd selection policies that kept India's best bowler in the ODI series out of the Tests - and included a a third spinner in Ramesh Powar - also looks distant.